Thanksgiving, Part 4: Not Your Mother’s Mashed Potatoes

I can't believe it's not Russet

In part 3 of this now widely lauded series, I shared some very traditional Thanksgiving side dish recipes that will delight everyone with their taste but surprise no one. Let’s take that second part and see about turning it on it’s head, shall we?

As I’ve said, before we started hosting Thanksgiving at our place, Christopher and I were invited to many lovely dinners for the big day, and since Thanksgiving is all about the eats, most hosts opt to have each guest contribute a dish. Most folks bust out their ‘specialty’ dish, be it green bean casserole or mixed greens with tangerine poppyseed dressing or their own famous pumpkin cheesecake.

Not content to bring something as pedestrian (but undeniably delicious) as Corn Pudding again, one year I hit the books and started coming up with ideas – and there were a lot of them!  And far from the same old Sweet Potatoes and Marshmallows, most of the ones that interested me were anything but ordinary.  Also, I found dishes that tasted and looked fantastic, but often ended up going WAY overboard fat, sugar, and most importantly… portion size.

The problem, of course, in hosting Thanksgiving dinner and asking for contributions of side dishes, is that everyone thinks “Oh! Thanksgiving!  I’ll make the fattiest/ cheesiest/ heaviest/ most caloric/ most coma-inducing/ most sugary thing I can come up with!  And I’d better make enough for everyone to have multiple helpings!”  

The end result is that you end up with 900 pounds of Applewood-Smoked Bacon Stuffing, three tubfulls of Roasted Garlic & Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes, and 75 gallons (give or take) of Cream of Butternut Squash Soup – all delicious, of course, but together, a bit overwhelming. Everyone has to eat a little bit of everything (after all… the cook went to such trouble!), and though there are enough leftovers to feed the Russian Army, everyone demurs when offered a doggy bag.   Three weeks later, as you’re wrapping Christmas gifts, you’re snacking on stale Honey Whole Wheat Butter Croissants and drying desperately to shake greenish, gelatinous Veal Gravy out of your best Tupperware.

Learn from my mistakes, guests!  Make something tasty, but keep in mind that the guests don’t have to live on your dish alone.  And hosts, be sure you let folks know that something without two pounds of butter, a cup of goose fat, or a kilo of sugar would be most welcome.  I am the first to admit a love of culinary wretched excess, but when the ‘wretched’ part takes over, we’re all in for a double-helping of trouble.

So if you’re a traditionalist, buy some nice Idaho Russet potatoes, have plenty of sour cream and butter and mash, don’t blend!  If you’re in the mood for a little something different, fish around in your cookbooks, clippings, and of course food blogs, and find something fresh and new to try. Just don’t cook like you’re feeding the Pittsburgh Steelers’ defensive line!  As a wise person once said, “Moderation in all things.”  Naturally, though, that also includes moderation.

Get steamed over Cauliflower

CAULIFLOWER-GARLIC “MASHED POTATOES”

Remember the low-carb craze?  Me neither, but this dish would be perfect for Dr. Atkins and his ilk. I got this recipe from the exceedingly wonderful Lynn Rosetto-Kasper, cook, author and host of the fantastic radio show, The Splendid Table. The texture is remarkably like mashed potatoes... without any of the starchy badness. It’s so easy to make, and turns out a almost impossibly creamy, fluffy and flavorful dish. Top it with some freshly cracked black pepper and maybe a little sea salt, and you’ll never miss the mashed potatoes.

• 1 large head cauliflower (preferably organic)
• 5 large cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• Salt
• 1 tablespoons good-tasting butter
• 3 tablespoons good-tasting extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Cook in two batches. Set a collapsible steamer basket in a 6-quart pot. Add water to come just above the bottom of the steamer. Cover and bring to a boil. Meanwhile, wash cauliflower and its leaves. Cut leaves into thin slices. Break cauliflower into florets.

Drop leaves onto the steamer and sprinkle lightly with salt. Add half the cauliflower, all the garlic, then remaining cauliflower. Sprinkle lightly with more salt. Cover and steam over medium-high heat 8 minutes, or until cauliflower is so tender a knife just slips into it.

Drain in a colander, turn into a food processor fitted with the steel knife, and add butter and oil. Puree until smooth. Season to taste with pepper, nutmeg, and more salt if needed. Serve immediately, or refrigerate, covered, and reheat later. Serves 8 to 9, but this recipe can be easily doubled, and it makes a great accompaniment for meals throughout the week.

Finally: a reason to eat tomatoes in November

ESCALLOPED TOMATOES

This is a reaaaaaally old recipe – specifically it’s from the mid-18th century. I found it in The Williamsburg Art of Cookery, or Accomplish’d Gentlewoman’s Companion: Being a Collection of upwards of Five Hundred of the most Ancient & Approv’d Recipes in Virginia Cookery. I got this book in (guess where?) Colonial Williamsburg when C’pher and I were newly in love and road trips to Colonial Williamsburg still seemed like a great idea.  I’ve managed to adapt one or two of the recipes despite all those cool long S’s that look like F’s and the arcane language.  The recipe as it appears below is verbatim from the book, so YMMV.

I included this new favorite of mine in a collection of recipes to be given to my pal Jenny when she finally made an honest man out of that ne’er-do-well Harold. You can check an earlier post for a list of a few more recipes I submitted for inclusion in a ‘New Bride’s’ cookbook her Maid of Honor put together.

Cooking out-of-season tomatoes is a way of enjoying them even when they're not right off the vine in your granny's garden, so this recipe works all year 'round. I have used many kinds of bread, but a couple of think slices of whole grain brown bread seem to work best. I always add chopped rosemary to the tomatoes in this dish. Serving it with fresh sprigs as a garnish is usually a pleaser, too. I interpret the phrase 'slow oven' to mean 325º F. This dish doubles, travels, and re-heats well, so it's great for a Thanksgiving potluck, and folks love hearing about it's Colonial roots. How very American!

Mix two and one half Cups of Tomatoes, two Slices of Bread broken in Pieces, one half cup of finely chopped Celery, one Tablespoon of finely minced Onion, one Teaspoon of Salt, one fourth Teaspoon of black Pepper and three Tablespoons of Sugar. Pour into buttered deep Baking dish and cover well with small Pieces of Butter. Bake in a slow oven at least an Hour, stirring occasionally at first.

Viva La Stuffing!

CORNBREAD-CHORIZO DRESSING

Who makes the stuffing in the turkey anymore? It’s so difficult to cook it to a high enough temperature so far inside a big ol’ bird that by the time it’s safe to eat, your turkey is likely to taste like sage and butter infused sawdust. Ick.  Still... we do love our stuffing for Thanksgiving!  It’s pretty much a given these days that the stuffing will be done as a separate dish. After all... this is America.  Two years in a row makes it a tradition!

But... is it called stuffing or dressing?  That question is right up there with “pop or soda?” You can call this whatever you like, as long as you call me when it’s ready to eat. Our excellent friends Nicole and John brought this for Thanksgiving to our place a couple of years ago, and no one even CARED about the turkey. You know all those leftovers I was mentioning earlier? Guess how much of this delectable dish was left over? Zero point zero zero percent. ‘Nuff said.

• 8 oz. Mexican-style firm, fresh chorizo sausage (see notes), casings removed
• ½ cup (1/4 lb.) butter
• 1 red onion (about 8 oz.), peeled and chopped
• ½  cup each chopped celery and carrot
• 6 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• 1 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 tsp each chopped fresh thyme, oregano, and sage leaves
• ½ cup fat-skimmed chicken broth
• 12 cups ¾ -inch cubes cornbread (see notes)
• Salt and fresh-ground pepper

In a 10- to 12-inch frying pan over medium heat, stir chorizo until crumbly and browned, about 5 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to drain.

Return pan to medium-high heat and add butter. When melted, add onion, celery, carrot, and garlic. Stir until vegetables are lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Add cilantro, thyme, oregano, and sage; stir until fragrant, 1 minute. Add chorizo and ½ cup chicken broth and stir just until boiling. Remove from heat.

In a large bowl, combine cornbread cubes and vegetable-chorizo mixture. Stir until evenly moistened, seasoning to taste with salt and pepper. If mixture is too dry for your liking, moisten with additional chicken broth. Spoon into a 9- by 13-inch baking dish.

Cover and bake in a 450° F oven for 10 minutes; uncover and continue to bake until top is browned and dressing is heated through, 5 to 10 minutes longer. Serve hot. 


NOTES: For the cornbread, up to 3 days ahead, bake two 8-inch square pans of your favorite recipe or a boxed mix (you will have a little left over); store airtight at room temperature. Look for firm, fresh chorizo in natural casings at well-stocked supermarkets or Mexican markets. Very soft, bright-red chorizo in plastic casings won't work in this dish. You can assemble the dressing (through step 3) up to 2 days ahead; cover and chill. Remove from refrigerator about 3 hours before baking to bring to room temperature. Serves 8 to 10.



(Sources: Lynne Rosetto-Kasper, The Williamsburg Art of Cookery, and Sunset Magazine, Nov 2004. See cauliflower, tomato, and stuffing pix for photo credits.)

Comments

[ebblack]

Mmmmm-for me, Turkey Day is all about the sides!  I think the mashed cauliflower sounds really good!  Our brother-in-law Ron who's an excellent cook made this once and it was super yummy.  I tried to duplicate and it sucked.  Thanks of the cran receipt and I also remember that the escalloped 'maters were excellent as well.  Pillygrims also demand Pillsbury crescents.  I'm hungry just reading it!

[Kyle Minor]

Seriously... you have GOT to try the cauliflower, especially if you are serving another starch (bread, stuffing, wild rice, noodles). The consistency is creamy-licious and way better than potaotes... and better for you, too!